Friday, April 30, 2010

Happy Mother's day already?


I was given this. A Nikon D40. That is why my husband rocks. I have been using my camera phone for a month now. I think the best part is that 

1. I had no idea.  
2. He got it for as cheap as a digital point-and-shoot camera.

Thank you hubbs.  Thank you infinity. 



Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Not quite clean...

This is one of my favorite places. The Houston Temple.
I love its architecture. I love the grounds. Most of all I love that it is the House of the Lord. 

Last night I went here. This picture is from the linked blog but last night, it did look like this. The sky was that to-die-for blue with the cotton candy pink clouds. And for th brief moment I took to soak it all in, I felt that there must not be anything more beautiful. Well, aside from a newborn baby or some miracle like that. But you get the picture. 

While this Temple was breathtaking beautiful, I was well aware that I, at the moment, was not. "What!?" Yes folks, I was not really quite clean. I had planned on going swimming that day so opted out of the usual morning shower. As being a mom is, one thing led to another and some homemade bread and a visit from friends later, I was STILL bra-less and shoeless not to mention shower-less. 

So what to do? The hubbs had already come and gone and come again. And I had just 30minutes to get there before it closed. And being that we will be gone the remainder of the month, this was it. The last day. Do or die. 

I chose do. 

And now I was regretting it. 

My hair was greasy and I couldn't find the nail polish remover ANYWHERE! I had tried to scrape off my black nail polish but it didn't all come off. Seriously?! And as I write this I still cannot find it. 

But I went. I went in and something beyond description happened. I was met with loving words from the sweet man at the front. As I proceeded upstairs, I felt more at ease but also more aware of my unwashed hair. And of my chipped black nail polish. And the words of my mom and grandma about being dressed properly for Temple worship.  As I got dressed I kept thinking that maybe I should I leave. Or at least I should have painted my nails red. 

After a few minutes and many conversations in my head later I was ready to do what I came to do.

And it was beautiful. It was inspiring. And it was so unique and life altering for me in a tender way that I had to write it down. I don't want to forget. 
..............................................................
The Temple is God's house. I am His daughter. And the work that happens therein is crucial. I am a part of it. 
..............................................................
While I will prepare much better next time. I will begin to bring names to the Temple. And I will always remember the sweet lesson I learned. That I wasn't quite clean. But none of us are. And that is why we have the Savior. That is why we go to the Temple and to church. And that is why missionary work and genealogy work are so important. Because whatever sin or weakness we are experiencing. Whatever trial we must pass through, the opportunity to know Christ and to become joint-heirs with Him (Rom. 8:17) are worth it. 




Saturday, April 24, 2010

Love in the Laundry room

I love a lot of things. Most things actually. There are a few things I HATE to do.
-Dishes
-Ironing
-Laundry.

Now, I don't mind putting the clothes in. I don't mind changing the load. It doesn't bother me to haul the load to the laundromat even and back again. But I just LOATHE folding the clothes.

Good thing I know Cher.

Well, I don't know Cher but I do know her blog. And if you are married you really should acquaint yourself with Love-Actually too.

Just go here.


But remember, I introduced you to Cher. So thank me. Well, Thank Love-Actually, actually. Nothing will be the same EVER again... And for those Mama Mia fans, I am talking about DOT DOT DOT... :)

Friday, April 23, 2010

Eclipse Trailer



The movie looks pretty good. Considering the first two left me feeling underwhelmed. I think I will wait until it comes out on DVD though this time. Anyone else?

Here's to you Grandpa!



Makana surprised me today with a text while I was at work that said "Happy Birthday to Grandpa!" I'd forgotten it was his birthday, but Makana remembers everyone's birthdays. Then when I came home I saw this: (a banner that said "Happy Birthday Grandpa")


Yes, Harold Stanley Madsen was born on April 23rd and although he left us a few years ago (and sadly Makana never got to meet him) he still is a big influence in my life. I thought we would celebrate with some of my favorite stories about him. I shared one of his favorite poems with Makana and I performed it the way he would. Those who heard it know what I am talking about.

"The Lord in His wisdom created the fly...
But then he forgot to tell us why!"

I believe that was written by Ogden Nash. Another favorite of his that he would often quote to us was The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. It is a bit longer, but you can enjoy it here. You see, Grandpa was an English professor and he loved literature of all forms. He also was a terrific writer and wrote a biography of his earlier years (up to about the time he got married) and gave it to all the extended family as a gift for Christmas one year. I was a teenager at the time, but I loved it and loved learning about Grandpa. He lived a great and interesting life. He served a mission as a young man at a time when not everyone was expected to go(and then three more with my Grandma...they would have served more if it weren't for the health issues that made them stop), served his country in WWII and, one of the best things, is an alumni of Jordan High. We would even sing the fight song together on occasion.

Later he was stricken with ALS or Lou Gherig's disease. He was determined to finish the second part of his autobiography even though he could no longer type. He got some transcribing software and worked on it until he was finished, which he did just a short time before he passed away. All that knew him loved him. In fact, my Uncle Chris' brother was in town last year with his family and I found out that they lived in Lehi. I told him my grandparents lived there. They asked me their names and I told them and they both started raving about how they were the neatest people that they knew and that the whole ward just loved and admired the Madsens.

Some of my favorite memories from Grandpa. He had a great sense of humor. One time when my family was visiting we asked him why they kept the blinds closed. He got a smirk and said, "Oh, I just don't want the neighbors to see Grandma running around in her bikini."
Another time I was at lunch with he and my grandma and my mom. He was in a wheel chair at this time and had trouble doing any physical activity. He insisted on picking up the heavy glass of water and drinking. I asked him why he just didn't use the straw. He didn't answer, but Grandma turned to me and said, "He's thinks it's too feminine to drink out of a straw."

I also noticed that he was the first one off the chair when somebody walked into the room so he could offer his. This occurred even when he could barely stand. We had to firmly tell him, "Grandpa no, you need to sit more than we do."

Now I've been around a lot of old people and I see a lot of them get frustrated, cranky or angry, but I can honestly say that I never saw my Grandpa get angry or even be cranky in the slightest.

He loved serving in the Temple even when he was ailing. I had the cherished experience one time in college when I went to the temple one day and much to my surprise he was working there and got to serve me while I did the work. We were both surprised, but thrilled to see one another.

There are so many other experiences that I can share, but I'll leave those for another time. We love you Grandpa. We can't wait to see you again.


love,
McKay

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Case of the iPad. Tech savvy time waster or not?

I don't really like to spend money. Let me re-phrase. I don't mind spending money if I feel like I am getting a good deal. Case in point: Aside from a dress I bought for a wedding because I am a brides maid, I haven't bought new clothes all year. And I feel fine about it. I budget every week. I like to know where our money money is going. McKay doesn't go to work for us so I can just spend spend spend. And I don't stay home so I can blog all day or sleep in or play on Facebook. I have too much I want to learn about and try and do.

And then I came across this.
The iPad

And then this happened: For 45 minutes
What is that you ask yourself? Its the iPad. And its an app called Scratch Pad (or something like that). And that is my bro that lives in Hawaii. He was homeless so he came to Texas for 10 days until he could get into his new place. Jaed, aja-Little Miss Perpetual Motion, sat on Robbie's lap and played on this for a very long time. 

All of the sudden i was envisioning plan rides to Grandma's and car rides to downtown and realized I was drooling. On my face was a grin. A BIG one. If just one app can do this, I wonder what else it can do? I was soon to find out. 

The starting iPad is $499 plus tax but free shipping from the Apple store. It's not a glorified iPhone. Its way better. The 16mg can hold about 30 movies. I am happy with just three! 30? Really? Amazing. It can turn into a typical touchpad keyboard and be used to surf the net and type etc... And after tonight's third demo i had from Matt, I am hooked. And you as a family member should be also. Because of this gem


Incredible. Thanks Robbie. I can picture Jaed already laying in bed and being read to by Grandma. 

Maybe for mothers day? Maybe for the toddler's 2nd birthday? Maybe for Anniversary gift or Christmas gift or maybe we will combine the entire year of holidays into one. Actually, I better just start looking on the ground for change to finance this. I think I will start with the laundromat. Because while there are PLENTY of ways to waste time with technology, there are not many ways to connect with family in this way. And that my dear reader, is priceless. 




Saturday, April 17, 2010

Battleship

Remember how I said I lost my little digital camera? Well... what was lost now is FOUND! Whoop whoop.
Thank you to Tia and Anna for letting us borrow your kids for the day. We had fun even with the rain at teh Battleship.


Friday, April 16, 2010

Ultimate daddy daughter day

We have decided that daughters and daddy's need each other. Here are two reasons. Thank you Becca for your post with these in them.

"Relish the moments when she toddles up and for no reason at all throws her arms around your neck. Resist the urge to buy her the world."



Daddy's need their little girls. And little girls need their Dad's. Growing up we would have date night with dad. It was one on one and I remember feeling SO important. It usually entailed running errands but I always got a happy meal or a dipped cone out of it. And I knew that my Dad loved me. 


Just as couples need date nights, so do little girls. And just as mommy's need "alone" time (which still I can't manage even if I am in the shower or going on the toilet and if you are mom you totally get what I mean), we knew that an hour out with just the hubbs and the toddler together would be magical. 
................................................................
As stated earlier, McKay and I are opposites in SO MANY THINGS. But not in the things that really matter. Like traveling for instance. 


"Take her out of town to somewhere she's never been at least once a year. This will develop her sense of adventure."


We love to travel. Out of country, state or just to a new town. Or even to just a new exhibit. It doesn't seem to matter. I recently started to put my hard-earned education to work as an event planner. This weekend will be an open house and I know I will be invisible. McKay will be a single dad for a few days.


As mentioned we love to travel and are always looking to find a great deal on something. The hubs stumble across a steal of a deal to Lousiville, KY for this coming weekend only. So he got it and is headed off to Louisville. Why to KY you ask? The toddlers cousin is getting blessed this weekend. It will be a TOTAL SURPRISE ! 


And it will be the ULTIMATE DADDY DAUGHTER DAY (or weekend). 


And that is why my husband rocks. Because he will willingly and lovingly take a 20moth old on a plane and stay for 3 days.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Children's Festival


Frommer’s 300 unmissable events & festivals around the world. 

Thats right. Your eyes are not deceiving you. Houston's Annual Children Festival is one of these events. And this past weekend we ventured out in the rain to experience it. 

I have somehow manged to lose my camera. Actually, my official statement it that it was stolen. I bet Golem mistook for the Ring and snatched it. Or a leprechaun. It was a very pretty camera. (sigh...) At least I have a camera phone. 

WARNING: LOTS OF PICTURES


Hat-check. Sunglasses-check. Necklace-check. not shown-Pink bucket. Green Bucket. White purse. Check, check, and check. 
It cost us $8 per adult. BUT... i won a $10 gift card. McKay won a Nintendo DS set and comedy tickets.  We got a lot of cool stuff including two homemade Mothers day gifts that McKay and Jaed made. There was a circus as well and you know if there is are circus performers then  it is automatically going to be excellent. In all reality, it was a nice day, it stopped raining and the sun came out for the rest of the day. I don't think we will go again but we are glad we went once and now can work on the other 299 things to do. The best part was being able to spend the whole day together. 


Monday, April 12, 2010

hello there, I have missed you

Well I have missed you too

Where have you been anyhow?

Around? How about you?

Oh, the same.

So how is everything going?

Things are great. How are things for you?

Doing well.

Ok. well, I should let you go now. It has been nice talking to you.

Ok, good talking to you to. Bye bye

ps? did you see the girly tutorial on teh side under "If I had a Nanny?"

no, i didn't. But i'll be sure to check it out. Thanks.

Friday, April 2, 2010

A Just because I love you gift.

In staying with tradition of praising my hubby on Fridays for My Husband Rocks Fridays, I came across this site. For my ever faithful readers (yes, you know who I mean and its you), I have mentioned Union 28 once before. So far I have been doing really well on not buying any clothes this year. I did get a pair of jeans from Hollister when I was in CA... but I did not buy them. (picture: mom with a double stroller cruising into Hollister....)
When I saw some of these clothes though from Union 28 I almost broke my goal. Especially when I saw that the one I have been eying (the one with Angel wings on the back) is on sale.

So my question is this. If I but it so the hubby can give it to me for one of those "just because I love you" gifts, does that count? Hmmm... maybe you will have to tell your hubby to get you one too! And I have to add, they are located not only in TX but down the road in Humble!

www.MyHusbandRocks.NET

California

Well, after a well deserved chance for me to take a week off, I did. I took the toddler and we went to good ole' Californi-a. 10 days of no dishes or laundry or grocery shopping. 10 days of no packing, of reading all day and sleeping in. 10 days of taking advantage of my mom and my brothers. It was lovely. :) the toddler was spoiled with lots of love, hugs, kisses and a day at the mall with Aunti Kiana. (everyone should have one of those). She took Jaed and her cousin Kalea who is a few months older to the mall to Build-a-Bear. She has to make sure her bear is in her bed for her to sleep at night.

We also spent a week in Nevada City with my aunt and uncle and their amazing kids. They have a lot of land and animals and it was a dream come true for our little one. For her it was a non-stop party! We loved being able to spend time there.

I was happy to just have a break for while. We did a lot but if you are reading this you probably don't really care so I will write it all in my journal and leave you with some pictures.


Thursday, April 1, 2010

Please help me.

Is anyone else worried for me?


Did you read the part about spiders in the hair... salt in the drink... I know it doesn't say "wife" anywhere but I think that is because he was in 4th grade. Girls had cooties then, which I am happy that I finally grew out of.  Really, soap in the breakfast bowl?! AHHH! I think I need to re-think some things
I am realizing that this is mostly me, (makana) you get to read about in this blog. Hmm... well, lucky you! :)